UK defence minister says he expects Trump to remain committed to Ukraine and Nato

LONDON - British Defence Minister John Healey said on Nov 11 that he expected the incoming Donald Trump administration to remain committed to Nato and to Ukraine in its conflict against Russia for as long as it takes.

Asked if support for Ukraine had fallen since

Trump’s victory

in the US presidential election last week, Mr Healey told Sky News: “As far as President Trump goes, he recognises that countries get security through strength, just as alliances like Nato do.

“And I expect the US to remain alongside allies like the UK, standing with Ukraine for as long as it takes to prevail over (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s invasion.”

Mr Healey also said the US commitment to Nato and European security would remain strong under a Trump presidency, but he said he had argued for some time that European nations needed to do more “heavy lifting” in terms of boosting defence spending.

“I don’t expect the US to turn away from Nato. They recognise the importance of the alliance. They recognise the importance of avoiding further conflict in Europe,” he said.

Ukraine’s allies should not prejudge how the next US administration will handle the Ukraine conflict, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Nov 11, adding that Paris believed Western powers must stay united in their support for Kyiv.

He told the Paris Peace Forum that any initiatives would have to ensure Ukraine itself determined the timing and conditions for engaging in a negotiation process. In the meantime, Western allies had to give Kyiv all the necessary means to push back invading Russian forces, Mr Barrot said.

“Ukraine, and beyond that the international community, would have too much to lose if Russia imposed the law of the strongest,” he said.

France’s defence minister Sebastien Lecornu said on Nov 10 that Paris was sending a new batch of long-range missiles to Ukraine so it could strike behind Russian lines. REUTERS